Improvement in hoese hay-poeks



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IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

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To ALL WHoM rr MAY concessi;

Be it known that I, JOSHUA M. MANSFIELD, of Watertown, JeiTerson county, State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Horse Hay-Forks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact' description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to malte and 'use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of horse hay-forks called harpoon-forlcs, and to that class of them where the points arehingcd to the body of the fork, so that when closed they may be easily driven into the hay, and lwhen in the hay, by forcing them open to a point at about 'right angles to their former position, a'

large quantity of hay `may be held upon them; and it consists, first, in separately pivoted curved links., by which to operate thejpoints, and, second, in the provision of an eccentric camdever to raise the spring-catch, by which the sliding-bar to which the curved links are pivoted is held in its different positions. In the drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section onthe line m 1v, and

Figure 2-is a side elevation, with-partial section on the broken plane-indicated by the line y y. v

A. represents the tubular body or stock, which may be of any desired form, eitherround or angular, the latter form being represented, yand may be constructed of any suitable material. B B are tines, hinged at b b to pivots b l in the slots a, and formed with cavities b2, in which are pivoted the curved links C, so formed and applied as to lessenA the power required to open the points. D is a sliding-bar, to whose lower end, at d ol, the upper ends ofi-the links C are pivoted, and to whose upper-.end theelevating-rope is attached, through an aperture, d. F is a spring-catch, of steel or other elastic material, which is rigidly attached at e, by screws or otherwise, to the stock A, and having a pin, e, projecting laterally from its lfree end through an aperture in the stock A, so as to-engage in a depression or notch, d2, in the sliding-bar D when the tines are in their open position. rllhe catch E is raised by the eccentric cam-lever F, which is pivoted atfin a longitudinal slot in the enlarged -upper end of the catch, and which is actuated by the rope or cord G,-attached to the outerend of it, and passing through the eye a on the outer end ofthe arm A', and `down to a position within reach of the operator. By this rope the lever is raised, but it returns to its normal position by its own eccentricity, underpress ure of the spring-catch.l l Y' i its operation is as follows: The fork being suspended in the ordinary manner, and the points B in their closed position, it is driven into the hay, by the foot or otherwise, a sulicient distance, when theibar D is forced i down,` and, by means of the outward pressure, the links C, and the vertical resistance of the hay, the'tines are made to assume the position representedby red lines inl iig. 1, when the stud e springs into the depression d2.

The forli is then readylto be raised, and'onreaching the required height the tines are released by retracting the springcatch through thev connections before explained. An additional hole may be provided in theslidingbar, as indicatedat als, to hold the tines in their closed position. l y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'- 1. The separately pivoted curved links C, in combination with the sliding-bar D and hinged tines B B, arranged and operating substantiallyl as and for the.pur`po se described.

5?.. The eecentrically pivoted cam-'lever F, in combination .with the spring-catch E e and rope G, arranged and operatingsnbstantially as 'and for the purpose speeied.

i 3. The arrangement of the arm A a, rope Gr, and eamlever F, substantially as set forth.

4 To the above specification of my new and useful Vimprovement in horseY hay-forks 1 have signed my hand this lth day of July, A. D. 1867.

JOSHUA M. MANSFIELD..

Witnesses:

OoTAvIUs Kaiser, J. E. M. BOWEN. 

